gainfully unemployed!
will on February 17th, 2009
last week i got a canned email from meetup.com informing me that a new group had been created by the name of “gainfully unemployed.” a social outlet for casualties of the current fucked up economy, the group seemed quite the opportunity for me to get out of my apartment, meet new people and explore more of NYC. i signed up immediately.
[sidebar- i'm writing this post on the subway and a woman just sat down next to me with a very cracked iPhone screen. inside, i'm crying for her.]
today was the first excursion for the gainfully unemployed, and i cannot say enough about how great a time i had. the outing was a historical tour through central park- a perfect kick-off to the upcoming spring season. we met at the park dairy around 65th street and, guided by a member of the conservatory, were given a short but comprehensive tour of the dairy, the sheep meadow, the mall, and bethesda fountain. surprisingly to the tour guide, we were all in very good spirits- she several times commented on how happy we were considering our being unemployed. hey, it is what it is… why fret about it.
after the tour was over, a bunch of us went over to the boathouse for lunch. there, we chatted it up- getting to know each other a little more. one thing i love about living here is that there are SO many different types of people. new york is such a melting pot of people with various backgrounds, interests and aspirations, and everyone’s got a story to tell. in my recent, self-imposed isolation, i’d forgotten how much life you can get simply by talking to and meeting other people.
future excursions of the “gainfully unemployed” include ice skating and visits to museums around the city. i must say i’m very excited. i was desperately looking for an outlet to kick start me back to life again, and it feels really good to have found something to do, and cool people to hang out with.
meetup isthe sh*t, y’all. get on that!
